The ensuing pause stretches out for a few long moment—obviously she's expecting his opinion, but she shouldn't, and Bastien pretends to only slowly realize that she wants him to say something just to emphasize how stupid it is.

Then he shrugs.

The masked man takes a step toward him. Maybe it's meant to be threatening. That's funny. But the mage isn't funny, so Bastien doesn't acknowledge that advance, exactly, but he does explain: "No one is paying me for advice. Honestly, you could not afford it. Words are cheap. Blame is costly." Bordering on a bored sort of sing-song, emphasized by a hand gesture reminiscent of a conductor. "Leave me out of it."

There may be a follow-up conversation to that. The huntress looks like she'd like to have one. But not in front of the hostage, who she turns back to, glaring.

"How?"